Apparatus for declustering and destemming cherries



J- FROVA Nov. 9, 1954 APPARATUS FQR DECLUSTERING AND DESTEMMING CHERRIES Filed May 24 ATTORNEY United States Patent?) APPARATUSTORDECLUSTERING AND DESTEMMING CHERRIES John From, Sanh'lnse, Galif.

Application May- 24, 1950, "'Serial: No. 163Q810 6 Claims. #(Cl. l te-55) "This invention relatesto apparatus fcirdecl-ustering,

operation is effected gently and rapidly; avoiding the tearing of 'thesltin of the-fruits.

An "object also, is i to provide the same-zdevice for declustering and jd'esternrning 'toge'ther 'or leelus-ter-ing alone'and destemming a lone.

In order" to bring out the salient features of the-invention; in comprehensible'rnannerand tothebest-advantage, the same is illustrated i'n "the accompanying-"drawings, forming' apart hereof;

'Fi'gfI" is an end elevatio'n of-the machine.

Fig. 2"is an'enlarged-"side elevation-of the rnahi-neembodying the invent-iondnpract-ical form.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged=eXhibition of the principal featutesof the 1 apparatus illustrating 't-he catching and separating of a cluster of cherries and the means to des-tem the} fruits.

Throughout the views, the same references i'ndkaa'te the same or likeparts. h

*In the cherry handling 1 art and particularly --in apparzitusflfor handling such-Cherries,' certain 'operationsihave* heretofore been "carried out 1 by hand while ethers havebeen -effected "by separate f'rnachine's. This'has entail'e'd' the "repeated rehandling of thecherries" at various stages,

andthe 'us'eof attendants-and conveyor belts-to deliver the fruit from 'o'nef'maehinedo another. The-' 'fruits-.con veyed' by belts are liable to-be iniured'. The-elimination of conveyorbelts is one ofthe'mostimportant advanta'ges t my invention.

-Wit-h* the-foregoing objects in-vie'w, it is nowprop'osedto carry"'out--in'-af combined machine, the entire group otoperations "as declustering, destemming and; the grading of cherries.

Hence, referring now to the- 'drawings in Figures -l to 4, "a 5 fruit handling "machine -genera-l'ly indieated" at 1 has a 'main frame 2, and adrum- 3"-Which 'is' supoorted .-i an inclined position upon a 'gr'oup'of grooved rollers l;5, 6, carried on supports 7, t3,-9,- 'onitheinach-ineframe. The drum -has "spaced peripheral -''rails '10, 11, riding in' the grooves-of the rol1ers -a'nd thereby locatihgsaid-d'rtim in proper position"While-allowing the same to rotate on-said rollers. At the higher'end-ofthe drum is "located a hopper 12 supportedclosely adjacent toisaid endof the drum by a'bracket 13 secured on'themachine" frame. The drum is perforated With preferably longitudinal apertures 14 small enough not toallow the cherries to go through. The drum} is rotated at a relatively low speed by an endless belt -15, -having a widthapproximately as Wide as the length- 'ofthe 'drum," t-he--'belt= connecting the drumwith a='pu1ley 1-6-" that is fixed en the-driving shaft-- 17 'of a motor- 18. T'he motoris -suppoi'ted by brackets 19, 20 and 21 secured en the frame said' motopend pnlley ice bein g placed below the level- 'of the ditum. SA Es'o'ft I oyl indri'cal brush- 2'2 horse'hair, nylon-,qetci i's mounted-so as to be -tange-nt to 'the inner Sear-face :bf the drum. lihe bristlesof the brush extend radially ifrom a shaft' 23 disposed longitudinally inside the drum; 'said sha-ft rotating in bearings 24 and Z5 that in turn are :supported by bracket-s26 :a-nd -27 'fiited 'on the fr-ame. The rotation o'fsaid Shaft- 23 is at a relatively h h speed in'itheiopposite direction to the 'ro'tation- -of'ith :drum, and the-shaft is driven-by a motor ls fixed data support 29,1said Sha'ft With itsbrush being positioned Jatia certain hei'ghtiinside the: d"r;i1m an'd=onthe 'side wl'iere the drumgin its rotation, is lmovingupwardly, see F-igure-B In order to catch the clus'terswof eh'erries fed into Ithe bottormof the .drum through {the hopper 322,:argroupiof rigid 'arms- 30-:extend ra'dially. inwardly from the,- interior of the drum and area distributedalongithe inner :Wall :of the a drum. hese arms "serve lto ipick i uptin fit-hebottom of the drum individual clusters of cherriesiandcbring ithe same -'upward =into contactwiththe rotating brush. IThe stems of the cherries, being .inormally :moresecurely attached to the fruit than to th'e other stems of the clusters, are separated from the cl11Sters by -the-high-speed of the brush when the brush comes into contact with? the cherries, said declu'steredfcherriesflwith:sterns intact returning 1 by gravity to I thel'bottorn of the -drum :and will gradually 'feeddown along the drum .due tofzthe rotation of the latter antl' the slighuinclination:ofiitheusame. Duringsaid travel, the stems ofthecherries wil'lziproject into the bottom of the drum through the apertures :l lzof'zthe drum where thebe'lt I 'S is not in contactiwith:theioutside Wall0f' the 'drum.

l Outsidethe '"drum i and -specifically' 2 just before lthei'laelt 15- comes into contact 1 therewith, a :supplementaryrbrush 31=is disposed underlthe drum and extendsl'longitudinally and tarigently thereof. The brush ;31 econtacts 'with ithe out-side wall of the: d-rum and is: fixed: onia :snppottl32 on the-frame,-'-and compels the -stemsitosiproject more outwardly, positioningsaid sterns parallelto lthQ'OllteDSlllIffiCE of the drum to facilitate theiclampingx of .the :stems when the belt entersjinto 4 Contact with the 1 outer wall cof I'the drum. During 'thef rotati'on of the 1irum,- the rclamped stems and 'conSequenfl'ythe :cherries 1' are .oarriednnpato thefp'ointvvhere the ibrushi'gztrotates sin: contact with? the inside wall ofthe d'rum S cei'the stems zareffiastened very' well betweenthe belt-:and the outer surface 'oftthe drum, "the opposite i rotation and :the ffhi'ghispeed 'df'tflle rotation of the sofit brushJZZ oausesrtheicherries toifree, themselves from their stems. The fruit thusudesterrnned, falls. into-'the bottom 'of the drumiand gradually travels down along the 'drum tenior cdue to the 'rotation :ofbthe latter and the 's'sli'ght i elination I of the :same. fllhe deste'mmed'eherries dare dischargedfrom lithe lower :end of the drum-inte another tirum $4,:oriihtor aprolongation ef 'the'fir'st drum' to b 'atled.

I turn tc'anrbeidireetlyrconnected with nd dest'emming" drnmitform-ing :a i' unit ported 'byf the -same ifraimeaind receiving the discharge cherries 'fromitheffirstrdnum IhiOllghitflfl. inelined channel 35:or'otherfconveyingmeans.

As grading drumsfor variousipurposeslare well known, it will-suflice to mention that the: grader %'drum'.:34 can1zhe divided into sections the-first sectionz' having'ssmall holes or apertures and the succee'dinglisections increasingly largen etc. Thec'gradi-n' "drum '34/described forms alnnlit With' -the first dr-um. lt :issuppontedl-inzaniinclined positionupon' a group of 11 grooved 'rollersvwhichxinfturn :are supported.on the'same framems supportsthetfirstdrum. The gradi-n'gHrutn-"M maybe rotatedibyvaanothee motorfor by means interconnectingthe first andwFthe .secondxdrums together. F-or example ai secondildrivinga-shaftfs6iisroneratively conne'cted with the' fi'rst driving sh aft: by pulleys 37-, 3'3 and-"39, and 'elts 4fi and '4l. lThesbeltMlvistsmalL and l is used 1 as 'driving 'b'elt around 'sthe i second wdrum. When the "grading mam- 34 I is a cprolongation of athe desternming and -declustering rdrum 13, the brush. 22" wi1l. only be carried on the support '26 which:caniibeestrength ened and the s'upport 27ican be' a olished. "'lihe frnitsnot in 1 cluster I follow the f same eparation as. [the already. deelu'stered cherriesarid lare destemmeduintthe same way. To remove -the- 'stems w-liiehmmayistay sattachedizonfithe inner surface of the belt, a supplementary brush 42 can be used and applied to the undersurface of the belt after it leaves the drum.

To obtain the declustering of the fruits without the destemming operation, especially for cocktail cherries which are to be graded with stems, it is only necessary to substitute the big driving belt with another small belt as the belt 41 of the grading drum that will not cover the apertures 14.

While variations may be resorted to and parts may be used without others or be replaced by others of modified form, it is quite evident that the operation will be continuous and wholly automatic throughout.

From the foregoing, it is clear that a group of operations are performed by the machine Without necessarily including any hand labor or conveyors but rather all operations succeed each other rapidly and automatically in order that a constant supply of clusters of cherries, or cherries with stems or without stems through the hopper 12 will produce a big supply of declustered, destemnied and graded or declustered and graded cherries.

The described machine has great potentiality of production reducing the cost of the final product.

Water jets 43 can be used to smooth the destemming and declustering operations.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the type described: a hollow perforated drum having a plurality of inwardly extending cherry stem cluster engaging arms; means for rotating the drum about an axis inclined downwardly slightly from the horizontal, a belt contacting a part of the perforated portion of the outer surface of the drum from a point near the underside of the drum to a point peripherally spaced above the bottom of the drum; means for delivering unstemmed cherries and clusters of cherries into the drum interior where the arms will engage with cherry clusters and lift them as the drum rotates; a brush mounted within the drum and contacting that portion of the drum interior that is lifting the cherry clusters; and means for rotating the brush in a direction opposite to the rotation of the drum; whereby the brush will strike the cherry bodies and will break up the cherry clusters being lifted by the arms; the declustered cherries falling to the drum bottom and the stems of the declustered cherries passing into and extending through the slots of the drum unobstructed by the belt; the stems of the cherries extending through the drum slots adapted to be gripped between the belt and the adjacent outer surface of the drum; the said brush being located opposite the portion of the drum upon which the belt is in contact; whereby the rotating brush will again contact with the cherry bodies to separate the cherries from the belt gripped stems.

2. In a device of the type described: a hollow perforated drum; means for rotating the drum about an axis inclined downwardly slightly from the horizontal, a belt contacting a part of the perforated portion of the outer surface of the drum from a point near the underside of the drum to a point peripherally spaced above the bottom of the drum; means for delivering unstemmed cherries into the drum interior where the stems of the cherries at the lower portion of the drum will pass into and extend through the drum slots unobstructed by the belt; the stem of the cherries extending through the drum slots adapted to be gripped between the belt and the adjacent outer surface of the drum; a brush mounted within the drum and contacting that portion of the drum interior that is lifting the cherries due to their stems being clamped to the drum by the belt; the said brush being located opposite the portion of the drum upon which the belt is in contact; means for rotating the brush in a direction opposite to the rotation of the drum for contacting with the cherry bodies and separating the cherries from the clamped stems, a brush for cleaning the surface of the belt that has been contacting the drum, for removing any stems that might adhere thereto, and a third brush contacting with the outer surface of the underside of the drum at a point just prior to that at which the belt contacts the drum, whereby any stems extending to the outer drum surface will be moved into a position against the drum exterior to be gripped by the belt.

3. In a device of the type described: a hollow perforated drum; means for rotating the drum about an axis inclined downwardly slightly from the horizontal, a;belt contacting a part of the perforated portion of the outer surface of the drum from a point near the underside of the drum to a point peripherally spaced above the bottom of the drum; means for delivering unstemmed cherries into the drum interior where the stems of the cherries at the lower portion of the drum will pass into and extend through the drum slots unobstructed by the belt; the stems of the cherries extending through the drum slots adapted to be gripped between the belt and the adjacent outer surface of the drum; a brush mounted within the drum and contacting that portion of the drum interior that is lifting the cherries due to their stems being clamped to the drum by the belt; the said brush being located opposite the portion of the drum upon which the belt is in contact; means for rotating the brush in a direction opposite to the rotation of the drum for contacting with the cherry bodies and separating the cherries from the clamped stems, and a brush contacting with the outer surface of the underside of the drum at a point just prior to that at which the belt contacts the drum, whereby any stems extending to the outer drum surface will be moved into a position against the drum exterior to be gripped by the belt.

4. In a device of the type described: a hollow perforated drum having a plurality of inwardly extending cherry stem cluster engaging arms; means for rotating the drum about an axis inclined downwardly slightly from the horizontal, a belt contacting a part of the perforated portion of the outer surface of the drum from a point near the underside of the drum to a point peripherally spaced above the bottom of the drum; means for delivering unsternmed cherries and clusters of cherries into the drum interior where the arms will engage with cherry clusters and lift them as the drum rotates; a brush mounted within the drum and contacting that portion of the drum interior that is lifting the cherry clusters; means for rotating the brush in a direction opposite to the rotation of the drum; whereby the brush will strike the cherry bodies and will break up the cherry clusters being lifted by the arms; the declustered cherries falling to the drum bottom and the stems of the declustered cherries passing into and extending through the slots of the drum unobstructed by the belt; the stems of the cherries extending through the drum slots adapted to be gripped between .the belt and the adjacent outer surface of the drum;

the said brush being located opposite the portion of the drum upon which the belt is in contact; whereby the rotating brush will again contact with the cherry bodies to separate the cherries from the belt gripped stems, and a brush for cleaning the surface of the belt that has been contacting the drum, for removing any stems that might adhere thereto.

5. In a device of the type described: a hollow perforated drum having a plurality of inwardly extending cherry stem cluster engaging arms; means for rotating the drum about an axis inclined downwardly slightly from the horizontal, a belt contacting a part of the perforated portion of the outer surface of the drum from a point near the underside of the drum to a point peripherally spaced above the bottom of the drum; means for delivering unstemmed cherries and clusters of cherries into the drum interior where the arms will engage with cherry clusters and lift them as the drum rotates; a brush mounted within the drum and contacting that portion of the drum interior that is lifting the cherry clusters; means for rotating the brush in a direction opposite to the rotation of the drum; whereby the brush will strike the cherry bodies and will break up the cherry clusters being lifted by the arms; the declustered cherries falling to the drum bottom and the stems of the declustered cherries passing into and extending through the slots of the drum unobstructed by the belt; the stems of the cherries extending through the drum slots adapted to be gripped between the belt and the adjacent outer surface of the drum; the said brush being located opposite the portion of the drum upon which the belt is in contact; whereby the rotating brush will again contact with the cherry bodies to separate the cherries from the belt gripped stems, a brush for cleaning the surface of the belt that has been contacting the drum, for removing any stems that might adhere thereto, and a third brush contacting with the outer surface of the underside of the drum at a point just prior to that at which the belt contacts the drum, whereby any stems extending to the outer drum surface will be moved into a position against the drum exterior to be gripped by the belt.

6. In a device of the type described: a hollow perforated drum having a plurality of inwardly extending cherry stem cluster engaging arms; means for rotating the drum about an axis inclined downwardly slightly from the horizontal, a belt contacting a part of the perforated portion of the outer surface of the drum from a point near the underside of the drum to a point peripherally spaced above the bottom of the drum; means for delivering unstemmed cherries and clusters of cherries into the drum interior where the arms will engage with cherry clusters and lift them as the drum rotates; a brush mounted within the drum and contacting that portion of the drum interior that is lifting the cherry clusters; means for rotating the brush in a direction opposite to the rotation of the drum; whereby the brush will strike the cherry bodies and will break up the cherry clusters being lifted by the arms; the declustered cherries falling to the drum bottom and the stems of the declustered cherries passing into and extending through the slots of the drum unobstructed by the belt; the stems of the cherries extending through the drum slots adapted to be gripped between the belt and the adjacent outer surface of the drum; the said brush being located opposite the portion of the drum upon which the belt is in contact; whereby" the rotating brush will again contact with the cherry bodies to separate the cherries from the belt gripped stems, and a brush contacting with the outer surface of the underside of the drum at a point just prior to that at which the belt contacts the drum, whereby any stems extending to the outer drum surface will be moved into a position against the drum exterior to be gripped by the belt.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 15 1,409,803 Urschel Mar. 14, 1922 2,358,500 Frova Sept. 19, 1944 2,462,682 Schubert Feb. 22, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 20 Number Country Date 446,505 France Dec. 7, 1912 266,397 Italy July 28, 1929 

